Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2013-14: Auston Matthews came out of the Arizona Bobcats program to join the U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP) for two seasons. Matthews competed for the NTDP squad that played in the USHL, scoring 10 goals and 10 assists in 20 games in 2013-14. The Arizona native also played for the U17 and U18 club teams that competed against college teams and other levels of competition. For the U17 team, he produced 12 goals and 21 assists in 24 games, and added 12 goals and five assists in 20 games for the U18 squad. Matthews competed for Team USA at the 2014 World U17 Hockey Challenge, where he earned a gold medal for the USA side. In six games, Matthews posted four goals and added four assists. He also earned gold at the 2014 U18 World Championship, where he scored five goals and chipped in two assists in seven games.

2014-15: Matthews continued his tenure with the NTDP in this campaign. He appeared in 24 games for the USHL team, scoring 20 goals and adding 28 assists for 48 points while posting a +20 rating. Matthews also played in 60 games for the NTDP’s U18 club team, where he notched 55 goals and 61 assists for 116 points. He once again did double-duty in international play for the U.S., appearing both the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2015 U18 World Championship. Matthews produced a goal and two assists in five games at the U20 WJC, then turned in an MVP performance for the USA at the U18 tournament, where that country again won gold. In seven games, Matthews scored eight goals and added seven assists for 15 points, which led to MVP, Best Forward, and U18 All-Star Team honors.

2015-16: Matthews moved to Switzerland to compete in the National League A (NLA) – that country’s top league – to play for the ZSC Lions (Zurich). In 36 games for the Lions, he scored 24 goals and added 22 assists for 46 points to go along with a +16 rating. Surprisingly, the Lions, the NLA’s top team during the regular season, were ousted in 4 games in the playoffs with Matthews picking up 3 assists in those games. Matthews was named to the NLA Media All-Star Team, and was also chosen as the NLA’s Most Improved Player. Matthews took time out of his club season to play for Team USA again at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship. Matthews contributed seven goals and four assists to lead the bronze medal-winning U.S in scoring. He was named to the U18 All-Star Team for his efforts. Matthews was ranked as the top skater in Europe by NHL Central Scouting in their midterm rankings for the 2016 NHL Draft, and he has been the top-ranked prospect for that draft by ISS Hockey since the start of the 2015-16 season. Matthews was chosen in the first round, first overall, of the 2016 NHL Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Photo: ZSC Lions forward and 2016 prospect Auston Matthews is ranked third in points per game (1.22) in the NLA, where he has scored 20 goals and 33 points in 27 games this season (courtesy of MARKKU ULANDER/AFP/Getty Images)

At roughly the halfway point of the 2015-16 hockey season, the picture for the upper portion of the 2016 NHL Draft is becoming a bit clearer, in part due to the recently completed World Junior Championship that took place in Helsinki, Finland. Read more»

Photo: Team USA’s second line of Sonny Milano (L), Anders Bjork (C), and Christian Dvorak (R) provided important secondary scoring for the U.S. at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship (courtesy of RONI REKOMAA/AFP/Getty Images)

For the first time since 2013, Team USA left the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship (WJC) with a medal, taking home the bronze medal with a dominating 8-3 rout of Sweden on the last day of tournament. Earlier in the tournament on Dec. 28th, the U.S. had lost to Sweden 1-0 in preliminary round play. Read more»

Photo: Team USA forward and 2016 prospect Auston Matthews finished the 2016 IIHF World Junior Tournament with seven goals and four assists in seven games (courtesy of MARKKU ULANDER/AFP/Getty Images)

Coming into the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship, Team USA forward Auston Matthews was considered the top prospect for the 2016 NHL Draft competing at this event. Matthews did nothing to dent that reputation over the course of the tournament as he finished tied for fourth in WJC scoring with teammate and fellow 2016 prospect, Matthew Tkachuk. Read more»

Photo: ZSC Lions forward and 2016 prospect Auston Matthews has produced 14 goals and 25 points in 22 games in 2015-16 playing in Switzerland’s top league (courtesy of Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

The United States will be seeking a return to the medal round at the 2016 World Junior Championship in Finland. The Americans last medalled in 2013 when they captured gold at this event in Ufa, Russia. Read more»

Photo: Erie Otters right wing Alex DeBrincat (#12) has had the opportunity to play with a top NHL prospect in Dylan Strome (#19) the past two seasons, and he may be paired with the top 2016 prospect, Auston Matthews, at the 2016 World Junior Championship (courtesy of Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

While the U20 World Junior Championship (WJC) generally features a much heavier dose of NHL-drafted prospects, each year’s tournament also has a smaller group of players eligible for the coming NHL Draft. Read more»